Safety Fears Over Toothpaste Ingredient

We always trust companies implicitly: we never suspect that they could be putting harmful ingredients into the products that we use every day. However, that may no longer be the case. Many people have become concerned over the use of the chemical triclosan, which is used in toothpaste manufactured by the company Colgate-Palmolive (see our article on a better toothpaste alternative). Concerns have grown to such an extent that the Hong Kong Customs Department has now begun their own investigation into triclosan’s properties, amidst fears that it could be damaging people.

Fears only grew on August 11th this year, when a report was published that there was a link between the chemical triclosan and some cancer-cell growth.

The study did not examine human examples, but instead focused on animal subjects, but the wider reaching conclusions that the project drew have made many people concerned over its use within toothpaste. After all, a chemical that seems to have such adverse effects on living creatures that are not human surely cannot be safe for us to use each and every day of our lives.

In Hong Kong, all goods that come underneath the city’s Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance must be proven to be completely safe for all those that consume or use them. However, despite their fears, Colgate-Palmolive has acted swiftly to try to prevent panic.

They have said in a officially released statement that: “Colgate Total users can be fully confident in the safety of our toothpaste.” The United States of America Food and Drug Administration has stood by then, citing their decision in 1997 – after their own investigations – to permit the use of triclosan within all products for human use.

Many people are watching with interest the new investigation that the Hong Kong Customs Department is now undertaking, and there will undoubtedly be those that will not bother to wait, but replace their normal toothpaste brand for one that does not include such a dubious chemical.